Numerous tweezers or grasping tool constructions are known. A conventional tweezer-like device comprises a pair of flexible arms joined at their first ends, with the second, opposed ends assuming a spaced-apart rest position. The arms are manually held and squeezed by the user in order to grasp an object oriented between the open ends. When it is desired to release the grasped object the grip on the arms is released.
Such tweezers allow for increased flexibility and precision in the manipulation of small objects and thus have wide use potential. In the crafts arts, for example, mosaic construction projects often utilize a plurality of small, peg-like elements, which are assembled in a desired manner in a grid-like matrix. The manipulation and insertion of individual pegs can require a fair amount of manual dexterity. The use of a tweezer-like device to grip and manipulate the pegs can be of great assistance.
Conventional tweezers, however, remain of limited applicability. It is often difficult to grip a peg in an appropriate manner to be inserted into the matrix without manual intervention to reorient the grip of the tweezers on the peg. In addition, conventional tweezers require that pressure be maintained on the tweezer arms on a continual basis to maintain grip of the peg. This may be difficult and uncomfortable, particularly for a child. In addition, pegs of arts and craft sets often are provided in an initially massed or connected arrangement, requiring the pegs to be individually separated for use. It would be of benefit to have a tool which can assist in this separation and subsequently be used to grip the pegs.
Further, because of the necessity for exerting an insertion force upon a peg while placing it in a matrix, it can be impractical or difficult to exert such an insertion force on a peg when gripped by a conventional pair of tweezers in which an inward gripping force to hold the peg by the tweezers must be maintained.
It is accordingly a purpose of the present invention to provide a tweezer-like tool which has increased convenience in connection with the maintenance of a continuing grip on a small item, such as a peg.
A further purpose of the present invention is to provide a tweezer-like tool in which continued finger pressure is not required to maintain the tweezers' grip upon a held item.
Another purpose of the present invention it is to provide a new and improved tweezer-like tool which can incorporate additional tool functions therein.
A still further purpose of the present invention is to provide a tweezer-like tool which is of economical manufacture and construction.